S. Korea establishes melamine content standard for food

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has established a set standards limiting the amount of melamine found in all food products to better protect public health, the government said Friday.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said it will not permit any traces
of the chemical, linked to kidney complications, in milk and food products given
to babies and toddlers while allowing up to 2.5 parts per million (ppm) in other
types of food.
Melamine, a nitrogen-based industrial chemical that artificially increases
protein content in dairy products, caused an uproar in China earlier in the year
after traces of the toxin were discovered in baby milk formula, leading to the
deaths of several infants and the illness of thousands more.
South Korean authorities have found melamine traces in imported powdered milk and
eggs, biscuit ingredients and animal feed.
It said the standard set by health experts and government officials will undergo
due administrative process in the coming months before becoming the official
standard around March.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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